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Ed Rashed
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"I fell in love with Syncopated City and I am going to open my next big gig with this song...It is such a beautiful song. Thank you so much! I am so grateful for you sharing your wonderful music with me. Do you mind if I think about recording Syncopated City on my next CD?" - Juliette Esper
"It would be hard to find a musician in the
Ocean State with such eclectic tastes and so much esoteric knowledge of
all kinds of music...Exceptionally well crafted and heartfelt."- Joe Kernan,
Cranston
Herald/Warwick BeaconLifebeats Feature
(Read the whole article - click
here)
"Rashed is more than a lyricist. He is a poet.
The first song on the first CD had me hooked." - Don Fowler, Cranston
Herald/Warwick Beacon
(Read the whole article - click
here)
"Rashed is Americana at its eclectic finest,
with tastes of folk, rock, pop, country, and jazz. The tunes are fresh,
the lyrics pure poetry,
the delivery is expert and the listening is
fun at all times. Highly Recommended." - Evan Prior, Sorbet
"Great stuff, and stellar performances by a host of talented musicians!" - Mike Caglionone, 7AWest Studio
"Awesome lyrics!" - Nina Paley, Nina Paley Global Empire International, Inc.
"These are, without a doubt, the greatest CDs
in the history of the universe." - Ed's mother
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On This
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| Music,
Anyone? | Fowler, Beacon
| Kernan,
Beacon | Muzique
Net | Web Site Comments |
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Music Anyone? E-zine - March, 2002 First Takes - Ed Rashed
A sojourn through singer-songwriter-keyboardist Ed Rashed's Big Treehouse Records web site (bigtreehouse.com) offers the visitor a generous selection of free downloadable music in several genres (shades of rock, folk, jazz, and country), with an unexpected bonus - it's real good music! There are pages with lyrics (some pure poetry, others just a hoot), a discography, a full page of influences, plenty of the expected links to other musical sites, some very unusual photos (someone who knows a little more about photography than I do will have to ask Ed about those prism shots - find the "Gallery II" page on the site), a hilarious tongue-in-cheek bio, and all the info on his 2 new CDs "Big Book Of Love" and "Wrong Side Of The Door." The photos are intriguing, the band excellent, the singing, playing, production and packaging all top notch if a bit quirky, and the oft-updated web site has won numerous awards; but the songs are what it's about. Don't miss a one! There are 32 of them (plus a six second dog chorus - that's the "1/2" song) on the two CDs, every one unique and worth savoring in its way. All done with a poetic and tonal aesthetic that invokes the experimental, eclectic, open minded, and seminal spirit of the fabled 60s. The folk-rock blends gracefully into the country, which segues into the bluesy, then the jazzy, and always back to the rock and roll. A heart stopping ballad about innocence called "Song Of Love" follows "The Rules Have Changed" which has an R&B groove and says things most of us think about a lot these days. There's a pretty country waltz, folksy and tuneful, called "Golden Day" on one CD and a grinding rocker with what sounds like a dozen interwoven electric guitar tracks called "Blue Lightning" on the other. In addition to Rashed's solid piano, organ and dulcimer, worthy tracks by more than a score of brilliant side musicians and singers flesh out this collection of love songs, torch songs, cool jazzy songs and hot sexy songs, funny songs and scary songs, a song about the "heroes, villains, and victims of 9-11," and a song about the "Syncopated City" itself; one called "Sushi Sue" and another called "Dr. Yazoo," songs about relationships, dreams, social issues, and beans! You heard it here first, and you'll be hearing more, I'm sure. Witty, savvy, quirky, funny, eclectic, literate, and tonal. Just-plain-good. * * * * +1/2 (4 1/2 out of 5 stars) .©2002 Jerry Furst |
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Cranston Herald/Warwick Beacon - Lifebeats section - Feb. 14, 2002 . Cranston Musician Releases Two CDs CD Review by Don Fowler .. Ed Rashed of Pawtuxet Village in Cranston went one step further; he released two CDs. Big Book Of Love, which he calls the "City Side," features 16 songs by singer/songwriter Rashed, spanning rock, pop, R & B and jazz styles. Wrong Side Of The Door, the "Country Side," has more of a folk, country and blues flavor, with 16 1/2 songs by Rashed. The 1/2 song is a lark! Rashed has been writing, playing and singing his music since the early '70s, and has played with a number of well-known bands, including Blueswagon, The Ragwagon Band, The Doug Riley Band, The Wanderers and the Bill Harley Band. He has performed with Katzberg and Snyder and wrote the cast album for the RI Shakespeare Theatre's The Outcasts Of Poker Flat. His mellow voice is enhanced by his unusual talents on piano, organ, keyboards, Appalachian dulcimer and percussion. Big Book Of Love and Wrong Side Of The Door are available through Big Treehouse Records, directly from the artist by mail order (CD-Baby.com, CDStreet.com, earBuzz.com or Amazon.com) or contact Ed Rashed at . . . (Ed@BigTreehouse.com). The CDs can also be found in record stores around RI, including Borders in Garden City, Sam's in Cranston, TwoGuys Music in Warwick, and Haruki Japanese Restaurant, 1210 Oaklawn Ave., Cranston. (They love "Sushi Sue," Rashed said.) Each CD includes a 12-page booklet with lyrics to all the songs, set into a background of drawings by Cape Cod artist Dana Gumley. I listened to the CDs while reading the words for a greater appreciation of Rashed's talents. Covering everything from love to patriotism, Rashed is more than a lyricist. He is a poet. The first song on the first CD had me hooked. "Feeling Red, White and Blue" is described by Ed as "a sort of musical American flag", and that it is, paying homage to the brave NYC heroes. "Song of Love," and "A Taste of Love" both feature intelligent lyrics that rise miles above the way we sang of love in the '50s and '60s. Wrong Side of the Door has a more bluesy approach to love ("If I'd turn and walk away, I'd get over you some day"). It also offers a musical look at the reality of the times in a haunting "It's the Little Things That Scare Me" ("When some punk who thinks he's clever gets mad at someone better, and tries to blow the whole town up"). Most of the songs are quite upbeat and will have you tapping your toe and singing along. The musicians include Joe Potenza, Jack Ezakovitch, David Tanury, Rich Dubois, Chris Turner, Kirk Feather, members of the Ragwagon Band, Wayz and Means, and over two dozen others of note. . |
"It would be hard to find a musician
in the Ocean State with such
eclectic tastes and so much
esoteric knowledge
of all kinds of music...
Exceptionally well crafted and
heartfelt."
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Cranston Herald/Warwick Beacon - Lifebeats front page feature - March 7, 2002 . Takin' it to 'the street' Songwriter seeks to sell eclectic collection of tunes By Joe Kernan . "Major recording artists get thousands of demo tapes and discs," said Rashed. "They all end up in the circular file. They don't have time to go through them all." Rashed should know. He has been kicking around the Rhode Island music scene for over 25 years, and it would be hard to find a musician in the Ocean State with such eclectic tastes and so much esoteric knowledge of all kinds of music. A lot of people tell you they like "all kinds of music," but when you ask them what specifically they like, you find it's often a very narrow measure they prefer. Not so with Ed Rashed, a Cranston resident who said he has been focusing on songwriting that fit several genres but hasn't forgotten the Beethoven and Brahms, the blues and rock and roll he listened to so avidly as a kid in East Providence. "If I were to rank the music I prefer, jazz would probably be fifth on the list, but I was a big fan of Dave Brubeck and Miles Davis when I was growing up," said Rashed in his Edgewood home last week. "I went to the Berklee School of Music in Boston, but I was not happy with the way they emphasized jazz over everything else. It was sort of arrogant and condescending. If I mentioned blues men like Sleepy John Estes or Muddy Waters, they sort of turned their noses up at it." In spite of the prestigious reputation of Berklee, Rashed dropped out and enrolled at Roger Williams College, keeping his fingers on the music he liked through it all. Rashed said he started taking piano lessons when he was five, took a few years and started up again at the age of eight. Although they are by no means the only composers he listens to, Rashed lists his favorite composers as Beethoven, Stravinsky and Ravel. "Those were the people who got inside of me, moved me," he said. He also said he likes Brahms, probably as much for the fact that he used to play in disreputable houses as for his music. There is an indelibly Bohemian glow about Rashed that 25 years of teaching and playing in reputable venues hasn't dimmed. He has taught at Dean Junior College and the Moses Brown School and currently directs music for St. Timothy's Church in Warwick. He also directs music for Chance to Dance and regularly plays with a rock band called Wayz & Means. "When I was really young, my sisters used to have all these rhythm and blues and Elvis records they played all the time. They had Fats Domino records on 78s," he said. Then The Beatles and The Beach Boys came along, and Motown and Phil Spector, and Rashed started playing it all on the piano. "I would listen to the records a few times on the radio and then I would play them on the piano," he said. "Then we started a group called The Three Eddies. Piano, bongos and guitar. I had to play the bass with my left hand and with my right hand all the other parts. That's not easy," he said. "All the other kids were going for guitar. I stayed with the piano." Rashed did a good deal of session work through the years and has been featured with such bands of note as The Shamblers, The Bill Harley Band, High Times, Blueswagon, Ragwagon and The Big Treehouse Band. His college training led him to approach the "History of Rock and Roll" as seriously as others approach the Punic Wars, an approach that dismayed a lot of Dean Junior College students who thought it was a sort of "rocks for jocks" course. "They were surprised to see how seriously we took the course," he said. "There was a lot more work involved than they anticipated." Rashed said he had one student who produced a rock and roll "flow chart" that traced the roots and evolution of rock. "I told him it was virtually impossible to chart such an erratic development, but he did turn out to be one of my best students." Like most talented people, Rashed is also an accomplished photographer, and some of his work can be seen on his website. He also has a good ear for the tongue-in-cheek style of conveying the facts of his life that avoids the monotony of a mere string of events, which is also amply displayed on his website. Like most talented people who have artistic principles and care more about what they do than how it sells, he sells real estate to float him over the shoals of the commercial music business. So, even though he doesn't spend most of his time playing with bands, he still has plenty of time to devote to his songwriting and even the odd serious (re: symphonic or choral) work. But he dearly loves his songwriting, which he says takes as much technique and practice as learning to play music. "It is as much a craft as it is an art," he said. "I have written more songs in the last five years than I did in the last 20 years, and I have learned a lot. For instance, I've learned to stick to one idea. If you don't, you find the song going in two or three different directions, and it goes wrong." Rashed is the first person to admit that his singing is not his major strength, but it is good enough to convey the songs he writes in ways that reveal their complexity and craft and their capacity for interpretation. As you listen to his two-CD set, you can't imagine people like Bonnie Raitt, Dolly Parton or Joe Jackson missing the point. You can almost hear them singing them. Rashed said the Big Book of Love disc represents the urban part of his personality and that the Wrong Side of the Door is country, but neither disc fits perfectly, neatly into those categories. There are 32 songs between the two discs, and all of them sound competent. There are about eight songs that are exceptionally well crafted and heartfelt and really deserve to be sung by first-rate artists. "Getting Nothing But Old" practically begs for Dolly Parton with Emmy Lou Harris and Linda Ronstadt doing background on the chorus. "Sticky Boiled Beans" could be an outtake from O Brother Where Art Thou. "The Rules have Changed," with its chant and response, could be done by any number of soul groups, and "Syncopated City" sounds like Billy Joel or Joe Jackson were sitting on the bench beside Rashed as he wrote it. "That's why I'm taking them to publishers," he said. "You can't just send these songs to someone and say, 'I think you should sing this.' I don't have the time to try that and that's what the publishers are for. I have no problem sharing royalties with a publisher. After all, 50 percent of something is better than 100 percent of nothing." . |
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MuziqueNet.com
. . MUZN: How does your songwriting come together? Ed: You really want to know? OK.
USUALLY it goes something like this: Lyric idea first, sometimes from a
scrap written down months before, try to flesh it out and still confine
it to a single idea, then work on scansion, chord structure, and tune,
then back and forth, revising, revising, revising, getting it to work together,
then play it for someone else, note their reactions, then put it aside
to come back to later with fresh ears, then decide if it is material for
1. the next CD, with a little work, 2., the "work-on-it-later" pile, or
3., the circular file or delete key!
MUZN: What's your philosophy on music today? Ed: There isn't enough time in the
world to to really get into that discussion. But I'll say this - I think
pop music today is way more fragmented than it used to be. The problem
with that is evident when people get too involved inside of just one of
those fragments, and develop a narrow minded attitude towards all other
styles, sometimes even contempt. To do that is to rob one's self of a lot
of good listening. No good music is worthy of contempt. There is good and
not-so-good in almost every genre, I think, so I try to listen to all sorts
of music, and always have. If I find "art" in it, I'll listen to more.
In the end, for me, there are only two kinds of music - good and not-so
good.
MUZN: Tell us about you, when did you begin writing songs? Ed: When I was 3. Although I think
I started to write some pretty fair things, mixed in there with a lot of
not-so-good things, starting in my late teens and 20s, I didn't really
start to get the hang of the daily activity of songwriting until
sometime in the last 5 years or so. Let's just say that the percentage
of stuff that I am keeping, as opposed to throwing away, has grown a LOT
in the last few years. And a lot of that comes from the realization that
writing is only a small part "inspiration," and a much bigger part "craft
and hard work." Most young writers tend to think that it's the other
way around, but it definitely isn't. That's a hard lesson to learn, but
a very useful one.
MUZN: Tell us about your newest release, what can we expect? Ed: I think I did something rather
daring for an independent - I released, as my solo debut, 2 separate but
linked CDs, a total of 32 songs. I just had to get the whole closet cleaned
out, I guess. Anyway, "Wrong Side Of The Door" and "Big Book Of Love" are
really two sides of the same coin - a pretty massive songwriter's showcase.
Most of the tunes are recent but there are a few that go back some years.
Anyway, the "buzz" from people who have heard it has been very, very good,
and I know that there is a whole lot of good music here for a lot of different
ears! My web site has a pretty fair amount of downloadable "teaser" material
for people to listen to, so go ahead and listen to some tunes if you haven't
already. I'd love to know what YOU think!
MUZN: How many projects are you currently involved in? Ed: Aside from my day to day work?
A few new songs at various stages of completion, with enough tunes in progress
now to almost fill the next CD! I am also working on a children's book
called "The Tickle Trees." A working version of it is posted at my website.
MUZN: What's your long-term goal? Ed: I think most writer/artists will
tell you something along these lines - I want my music to be heard by as
many people as possible. It's usually not about the money for writers,
it's about validation - to know that I have made that special connection
with others through my words and music. Which is to say, that I have done
something right! That's the test for me. Which is why I can't wait to have
other artists cover my tunes - the secret goal of my "songwriter's showcase."
The more versions I can get out there, the more ears hear my songs, the
more hearts I have connected with, the happier I'll be.
MUZN: How did you get into music? Ed: I am absolutely convinced that
doing music is what I was put on this planet for. I can't remember a time
that I wasn't "into music" and that music wasn't in me. My first piano
lesson was at the age of 5.
MUZN: How long have you been performing? Ed: The first public performance
with a band was when I was in the 7th grade. It's been pretty constant
since then. We're talking decades, now, not years, see? Next question...
MUZN: What bands/artists inspired you the most early on? Ed: Oh, start with the sheer variety
and the consistantly high quality of all the best 60s stuff - Beatles,
Stones, Beachboys, then Dylan, The Fariñas, Paul Simon, add a dash
of Zappa, a pinch of Miles Davis and a tsp. of Robert Johnson, and then
flavor with a little Beethoven, Mozart, and Gershwin; voila! the soup is
ready! That's the very short list. Read the "influences" page on my web
site if you want the long version.
MUZN: What do you want out of life? Ed: To be able to do just a few positive
things for the world while I am able. For myself, maybe to get to a place
where writing (and a bit of performing) my songs is all I need to be doing
besides enjoying life! I would prefer to do without the fame, but
a little piece of the fortune would be nice.
MUZN: What is the most important lesson you think you have learned so far? Ed: One of the many important lessons
I have learned is that music gets inside people in ways that nothing else
can do. Music has very special power. Like other powerful things, it can
be used in both positive and negative ways. I try to stay tapped into the
positive side. And I try to encourage others who do the same by buying,
playing, and spreading their music too.
MUZN: Who are your favorite artists? Ed: Too many - it would be easier
to tell you who I DON'T like. Again, take a look at the "influences" I
have listed on my web site and you will get a pretty good idea.
MUZN: Where do you want to be in the future? Ed: Literally? Someplace on the Mediterranean,
eating, drinking, traveling, loving, and smoking way too much and getting
away with it. And, of course, playing music, preferably with very good
players, every day, just for the love of doing it! Pass the wine, please.
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Hans and Thomas, a.k.a. The Cybermonks
our "Beautiful Web Site and our Gold Nugget award for web design" !!!! Keep up the great work : )) Thanks, Tom and April
I know you're a great artist; you appreciate my "Artistic Award"! *S* I have just finished looking at your website, listening to some of your music, reading your bio and viewing your photos. You are a very talented guy! Your bio is filled with humor and your music heartfelt. You've created a great place for webcrawler's to visit. I'm honored to add my award to those you have already collected. Theda
Back To Top Excellence Award. Your site has been judged by us as an outstanding Web presence. The basic criteria of 'Appeal, Content and Concept' has been met and surpassed. Your work really stands out. Excellent content. You have an extremely clear, clean design and it is very easy to follow. Regards, John <><><><><><><><><><>
You have such a wonderful site that I want to give you both my creative site award AND outstanding web site. I love your photos, - You are very talented. Thanks for applying and allowing me the pleasure to view your site! Take care, Kim Blue
I just came from your homepage and I'm proud to say you've earned my award! Your site is a wonderful contribution to the net. It's so important that sites like yours provide a safe and honorable place for others to visit. Enjoy your award and show it with pride. You've earned it! LadyJ You have won the GOLD from Dennis's Web Tree. All your hard work and effort is shown in creating a superior web site. I am more than happy to bestow my award to you. You have made the internet a more pleasant place to visit. Keep up the great job. I will make sure to be back again. Take Care,
Back To Top Your site Music by Ed Rashed has won the Dusilla Friendship Award! Your site is presenting its contents - music career and CDs - in a fine manner. I found the photos stunning. A job well done! You can find the Award attached. Laila Hokkanen
I liked your website very much you are so talented, I want to give you 2 awards
well done Colin S Campbell
You have a lovely place and I really like the song ( Song of love ) I will give you my award for a great job and a lovely place Love from Nilla
The New Dawn Group is pleased to annouce your site has been reviewed and you have won our New Dawn Silver Award. Sites are judged on content, functionality, graphics and usefulness to the general public. We spend a lot of time reviewing sites and not all make the grade. You have done a great job, keep up the good work! We are one of the longest active awards programs on the net (we celebrate our 6th birthday this October) Best regards,
Back To Top Lovely. Terrific pages. Great Design. Great contribution to the World Wide Web. I am much impressed. I am awarding your site the Poet's Award Ernest Slyman
Many congratulations on your very fine site. Your music is really great. I wish you every success in your career. I have pleasure in offering you my "Creative Excellence" award. Thank you for applying for my award, "Ed", and best wishes from Wales. U.K kevin barry
We thank you for inviting us to visit your home on the Internet. We applaud your site's ease of navigation, obvious hard work, and entertaining content. It is with great pleasure that we give you the Entertainment Award. Regards, Lynne Miller
Congratulations with the silver spider-award.
I really enjoyed my visit to your site. Warm regards
Back To Top You Have Won An Omniana Award! We found your site particularly interesting for its content and its general Appearance. We enjoyed visiting your site, and we thank you for this good contribution to the Web. Believe me, not many win our award. For
you to have done so shows great talent. We would like to congratulate
you for all the hard work you have obviously put into your web site. It
takes someone with a certain level of skill to design a
Once again, let us thank you on behalf of all of us in the award staff on a job well done. Your web site "http://www.EdRashed.net/" has won the Omniana Gold Web Award. Congratulations from all of us here at Omniana. Robert W. Miljkovic
Hi Ed Rashed Wonderful site--the exact type we started the award for !!! Amazing content... Congratulations, Mike
Hi Ed Rashed! Your site definitely qualifies for the Agathe & Pixies Award. With quality and originality in content, design and navigation, your site helps make the web a better place! Congratulations! I listened to some of your songs as well, and liked them very much! I also especially liked the photos from the CD's... Agathe Molvik, the Agathe & Pixies Award
Aloha, All of us agreed that you truly do have a interesting web site with quality content and design. The Aloha Award is not an easy award to win. That is why this award is seen so infrequently..Proudly display the Aloha Award to let others know that your Web site is informative, unique and has won this prestigious award. Congratulations and Aloha, Kealoha, Leilani, Bruce and Steve
...I've reviewed your site and you've
Keep up the wonderful work! Karen
Congratulations! I found your site to be easy to navagate and the graphics, layout and design of your site are just wonderful :) Jennifer aka Oceaneyes
Hello Ed, Congratulations!!......Your
site definitely qualifies for the "Critical Mass Award". A very nice site,
good design, clever original graphics, great photos, and you have provided
your visitors with content that is informative, entertaining, presented
well and easy to access. A worthy tribute and a positive contribution to
the Web.
Cheers,...Bill Darling
Dear Ed, Congratulations! You have won the prestigious coveted exemplary GOLDEN EGO AWARD. Sincerely, Nina Paley
PS - ... When you publish "Nina, I'm On My Knees,"
I definitely want to hear it.
Hi Ed Well done, you have won my
award. Your site shows originality, dedication and upon examining the source
code, knowledge of hand coding, a key point of my criteria.
Cheers
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.Background image: "Aviary" Detail from the Cover Photo of Big Book Of Love ©2001 Edward Rashed